IceFairy Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 We are not using a phonics curriculum of any kind right now. DS (just turned 5 in July) is sounding our words like drink, clock....anything that has short vowels and blends. He knows sightvwords from BOB Books and a few other books. Its time to delve into more....because he wants to... His Oak Meadow 1 will delve into word families in January, but even then they are things he knows. He does not like ETC....He gets bored with the repetition. We did 1, started 2, and I could not take the tears. No more computer curriculum. We are starting spanish and he does math practice online, so thats enough screen time. My budget is tight with Christmas coming, but I am not opposed to buy used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Phonics Pathways and Alpha Phonics are both quite good. You might consider Spalding or one of its spin-offs. You'd only have to buy the materials once (if Spalding, then just the manual, WRTR, and a set of phonogram cards). Spalding is very flexible so that it can be used with little people who are just 5 :) and you'd never need anything else for reading, spelling, or penmanship, and it would be enough for capitalization and punctuation, and simple writing, for at least two or three years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 We use and like Phonics Pathways. It's a one book purchase, and it's nonconsumable. They cover a rule, then give a couple pages of examples for practice. It's a good "snuggle" sort of curriculum. My little one reads through until she's tired of it, about a page a day. She also reads an easy reader at her level every day. If you want one that's scripted for you, look at Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Phonics Pathways and Alpha Phonics are both quite good. I was going to suggest the bolded, and I'll add a recommendation for her other book, Reading Pathways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I also would recommend Phonics Pathways. It is inexpensive, straight forward, and very effective. I also think the Writing Road To Reading (which was already mentioned also) is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wearejenandkev Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I like Phonics Pathways, Ordinary Parent's Guide to Reading, and Saxon Phonics. Of the three, Saxon Phonics is the most fun, but it is the most time-consuming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) A lot of libraries have older editions of Spalding's Writing Road to Reading, especially the 4th edition, which just happens to be my favorite version. The 6th edition is a must when introducing cursive though. Many libraries also have How to Tutor, which is a precursor of Alpha-Phonics. There is a $9.99 Kindle version of HTT, and I often use it now, but at the beginning I really preferred having a hardcopy book to mark up and take notes in. Here is a precursor to HTT as a free pdf. It's two steps back from Alpha-Phonics but it's free :-) My preference is to start off with HTT, and then later on transition to Spalding or a Spalding knock-off. Edited October 31, 2012 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItoLina Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I HIGHLY recommend Sing Spell Read Write. From your description, your son would be in level 1. I just cannot say enough about how well done it is. It is fun, engaging, sets your child up for success, and thoroughly teaches the phonics rules. I have tried or looked at A LOT of other phonics programs. I looked at a lot through my library and through other moms, and hands down SSRW is the best. I don't have a ton of time to post now, but I will try to come back later and elaborate. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItoLina Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) Ok, I have a minute now :001_smile: I have owned or looked at OPGTR, HOP, ETC, Phonics Pathways, The Reading Lesson, Bob Books, Nora Gaydos Readers, and SSRW....whew! what I noticed is that everything except SSRW seems to be pretty much variations of the same thing: learn a new rule, read a list of words, and read a story with those words in it. with SSRW, I think you get a lot more than that. There is still the list of words, but they give you games, songs, and a bunch of tips in the teachers guide to help your child build fluency in those words. then, when they read the story book for the lesson, they are no longer sounding out each word, so they can actually understand what they are reading, which makes reading the story much more enjoyable. They also have activities and questions to ask to help your child work on comprehension. The storybooks in SSRW are also better than the other stories or readers in other programs I have looked at. My son thinks the stories are funny. Many of the readers have 3 stories in them, and each one builds on the next so he stays interested and wants to keep reading to find out what happens. They also hide Gus...this little reading bug character, throughout the books, so he loves to look for Gus in the readers. My son also loves that they have this race track, and each step in the program you complete you get to move your car along the racetrack. There are 36 steps to get to the finish line. He gets so excited on the days that he gets to move his car and has asked me if he will get a trophy at the end :001_smile: Another thing I like about the program is that they have optional assessments all along the way. I like that if I am not 100 percent sure that he has something down that I can assess to find out. They are supposed to score at least 80 percent on the assessment before you move on. I also love the way it progresses. It moves at a good pace and does a good job of introducing rules, and then working slowly along to really cement them into place. So, we are now on step 16 of level 1 and I just am more and more convinced of how great it is it as we go along. I hope that helps :001_smile: Edited because I wanted to add that the down side is that SSRW is really expensive compared to other things, but I feel it is worth it, especially if you can manage to find it used. Edited November 1, 2012 by ItoLina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I also have used many things and am currently enjoying Saxon Phonics with my K'er and preschooler who are doing the K and 1 levels. I like that it is based on Orton Gillingham and I think when we finish level 2 I will move them into Logic of English which I am really liking with my 2nd and 3rd grader. It also has games and readers and such. My son got his first reader yesterday and was so excited that he gets to color it himself. I also really like the workbook and primers from the Phonics Museum. My kids love the readers in those. The games and puzzle pieces are nice too if you want to buy the whole kit. But I'm not as crazy about the lessons themselves. The artwork on the flashcards is beautiful and I really like the coloring pages that go with those, too...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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